History of the Kentro Body Balance Method

The
Kentro Body Balance story begins with the artistic journey of Angelika
Thusius, the creator of this method. Already as a teenager, in Honduras,
and later - as a professional artist - Ms. Thusius painted scenes of
Honduran men and women moving with strength and grace - in harmonious
relationship with their everyday activities. In 1972, in Paris, at 30
years of age, Thusius' life changed in an instant. While carrying a heavy
box she fell down two flights of marble stairs and injured her back,
pelvis and neck. She was in constant pain, uncomfortable in all chairs,
and had difficulty sleeping, walking and bending. She was forced to give
up her career as an artist. Ten years of physical therapies, acupuncture,
exercise and yoga brought minimal relief. She had to continue with costly
treatments. A French specialist declared that eventually, she would not
be able to walk. Still, she remained hopeful.

A relaxed stance: the pelvis is centered, the spine and legs are vertically
aligned and the back is straight.

During
many trips to Latin American and Mediterranean countries, she had seen
a majority of people (including the elderly) enjoying great freedom of
movement. This ignited her passion to live that natural ease in herself
and to pass it on to others. At the age of forty, she found some help
by taking classes at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in Paris. However, after
more years of yoga, balancing stretches and body-oriented therapies,
she was still in pain. Shortly after she was certified by the Iyengar
Institute, she embarked on a road less travelled. She let go of all prescribed
forms and postures as well as limiting beliefs about posture, anatomical
function and movement. Thanks to living in many cultures, she observed
that people without gyms and exercise programs remain limber and strong
through their daily actions. She soon developed the Kentro (Greek for
‘center’) method, which finally resolved all of her pain. Now, at nearly
seventy years old, she is also taller, more flexible and stronger than
forty years ago.

This Greek athlete is shown bending slightly backward. He is centered,
bending from the small of the back (not from the waist area).

Kentro is the culmination of over thirty-five years of Thusius centering
her body as well as researching the motion of young children and adults
in twelve countries - including Greece, Honduras, Morocco, England, Italy,
Portugal, Spain and Brazil - who remain vigorous and supple throughout
their lives. These observations are in accord with the structural descriptions
of principal books like "Gray's Anatomy". Thusius expanded
her understanding of healthy musculoskeletal function by researching
archival and contemporary anatomy books at University medical libraries
in London, Athens, Paris and at Stanford University. She also went to
the source of Yoga, Chi-gong, and Aikido teachings, which revealed a
common denominator with Kentro – emphasis on the main (pelvic) center
of the body. This principal area for most strengthening, flexibility
and subtle centering is referred to in Sanskrit as ‘asana’, in Chinese
as ‘dantien’, and Japanese as ‘hara’. Our pelvis is like the ‘hub’ of
a wheel.

This
Brazilian man's back is healthy with an even groove (equal space between
all vertebrae).

In her first years of developing and teaching the Kentro movements,
Thusius emphasized comfortable balance (optimal weight distribution)
as the first step to vertical bone alignment and muscle strengthening.
Her students experienced release of pain and discomfort. However, most
of them continued to harbor judgmental beliefs about their bodies and
still aimed at achieving ‘right’ posture. It dawned on Thusius that an
affectionate attitude to our bodies is the essential ingredient for abundance
of lasting well-being.

The movements merge physiology
with psyche, anatomy with art, structure with soul. This groundbreaking
approach to postural expression awakens our sensing of resilient motion.
It allows students to move with personal expression. It restores our
sense of pleasurable movement. Joy in our ordinary activities grounds
us into expansive connectedness with ourselves, our activities and our
environment.

Thusius has been teaching since 1986 throughout Europe and America.
Her students include athletes, artists, doctors, dancers, bankers and
bakers. She delights in sharing her discoveries with Massage, CranioSacral
and Dance therapists, Osteopaths, Chiropractors, Homeopaths, Chi-gong
and Yoga instructors.

Centered Ballet Dancer

The pelvis is the main life force area and fulcrum for optimal flexibility
and strength. Thusius encourages students to start all activities with
a centered pelvis, which prepares the way for centering the torso, limbs
and head. Kentro revives our bodies’ original
memory of healthy, joyful motion. Engaging in our activities with a relaxed
yet toned pelvis helps us embody an attitude of gratitude. By bending
forward with centered bodies we move like old-time dancers, athletes,
musicians and mimes - when they are giving thanks (see drawing
by the author). Thusius’s life work is helping others to move with centered,
pleasurable and vitalizing connection with their activities.